Protector Of The Night
by Firestar1000000
Summary: Nightwing is an ordinary guard. But when his chosen to be Luna's Personal guard, will he be up to the challenge. Read to find out. R&R plz. This is my first FanFic!
1. The Dream and The Shadow

**Hello, This is my first Fanfic so i am a bit excited to see how it turns out. I apologize for not putting this up here earlier. (I Knew i forgot something when i created the story!) I really hope you all enjoy. Disclaimer: I do Not own My Little Pony in any way.**

Nightwing opened his eyes and found he was falling. He didn't know where he was but he was falling. "W-w-where am i?" He asked out loud to no one in particular. He saw the night sky rushing past him extemely fast. It was dark for there was no moon. He looked down and saw what looked like a party. There were lights and balloons and tons of ponies right below him.

Apparently a pony was looking up at te sky a that moment because she saw him and screamed. All the other ponies looked up and were shocked at what they saw. He tried speaking, to tell them to get out of the way, But the wind wouldn't let him. it took his breath away as the ground came closer and closer. Right as he was about to hit it, He woke up, panting and in a cold sweat.

It was about 3:00 in the morning, and he was laying in his bed in the east wing of the Royal Guard Barracks. He was okay and definitaly not falling. _What a strange dream. I wonder what it meant._ He thought to himself. He waited for his heart to racing and decided he would try to get some more sleep before the daily routine started. He only closed his eyes for a moment before he heard the the morning bugle go off signifying that there day was beginning. He was dead beat tired and felt like he got ran over by the a wagon.

"Dude you look like crap, are you okay?" Came a voice right next to him. He looked over and saw it was his friend, Silvermist. He was dressed up in armor but had yet to put his helmet on. He had orange fur with a bright yellow mane. "I feel even worse, Hey what time is it." Nightwing asked.

"Its time for you to get moving. If you don't hurry you'll be late for role call and you know what happens if your late." With that said Silvermist grabbed his helmet and procceded to head outside. He got up and proceeded to get ready. He gave his mane and coat a quick brush, brushed his teeth then started putting on his armor. As he was putting it on, his thoughts went back to his dream he had. _Why was I falling, I have wings so why didn't i fly?_ He thought back to the screaming pony and realized she looked familiar. _Who was she? I know her somehow but why?_ He banished these thoughts and said to himself. "It was just a dream nothing else. It was probably from yesterdays supper." He still couldn't shaked the feeling that the dream was somehow importent.

He headed out side and lined up next to Silvermist. "Night, You made it in just the nick of time. One more minute and it would have been extra Physical training for you. Nightwing had managed to dodge what would have been a nightmarish punishment. When their Squad Captain finished calling the roll, they went out and did a five mile run. When they got back they were then assigned to thier duties. His consisted of patrolling Canterlot with Silver.

"Looks like we got a break, we patrolling together!" He said with excitement. They got the easiest job their was. Which was a good thing. Night didn't think he as up for anything else but an easy patrol. They started their patrol at the castle. While they walked they talked about trivial things like the weather or who was the strongest out of the two of them. Then Silver brought up the topic of the upcoming ball. "Its supposed to be the best ball yet. Right now i am trying to convince the Squad Captain to post us as guards there. It'll be the easiest job yet." Nightwing wanted to go to ball but he didn't have the money... or the mare to take with him. If Silver could get them stationed there he owe him alot. The ball this year was said to have a very special surprise as well.

"Well i hope you can convince him Silver i would like to go." He said to his friend. They kept walking and talking until they reached the train station. They turned around and started heading back, when Nightwing notcied something in his peripheral vision. It was a dark shape but when he turned to look at it it was gone. "You coming Night?" His friend called out at him.

"Yeah, comin." was his response. Nightwing knew that he saw something but what? _Whatever it is it can't be good._ He thought to himself. He kept an eye out for the figure as they walked back. He didn't see it again. When they finished the patrol they were told to do another five mile run. During the run Nightwing saw it again. It was the same as last time. It was a blur and it was just from his peripheral vision. "Hey Silver, did you see that." He asked.

"See what i don't see anything. Come on if we don't hurry were going to miss supper."

Nightwing finished the run wondering who was that strange figure he kept seeing, and what they were doing snooping around. He went and took shower. Now feeling more refreshed he headed down to dinner. He got his food and went to sit down. It was vegetable soup with a daisy sandwhich. He was about to eat when an excited Silver ran up to him nearly spilling his soup. "Night i have great news!"

"It had better be good if you were going to spill my soup over it." He said jokingly.

"Were going to be stationed at the ball!" He said barely containing his excitement.

"Really? Thats awesome. I can't wait, its tomorrow right?"

"Yeah and the best part we get to be stationed near the royal sisters." He said almost shouting.

"How the hell did you pull that off?!" He asked not believeing what he heard.

"Never doubt your friends Night." He said with a sly grin. They both tucked into their food. Night couldn't wait for the ball. He was so excited that he even forgot about the shadowy figure and his dream. He went to sleep that night peacefully.


	2. A Chance

**Sorry for the wait, school has been hectic. Thankfully thanksgiving break is here so i can hopefully post more chapters. Anyway thanks to those who are following this story. Don't forget to review!**

**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own MLP In Anyway!**

Nightwing woke up feeling a lot better then he did yesterday. He got up and got dressed and went about his daily routine. Today after role call, they were to complete a obstacle course. You had to cross pits and beams and swing from a rope and get to the finish within a certain amount of time or you had to restart the course.

To make things worse if you fell in one of the pits or off the beam, not only did you have to restart, but you also fell into mud, which meant you had to shower before you could get breakfast. The shower would be a cold one too. Apparently taking cold showers builds character.

It took Silver only one try to complete the course. It took Nightwing 3 tries before he got across. The first time he ran out of time, the second he fell of the balance beam and into some mud. So he had to spend his breakfast taking a cold shower and by the time he was done breakfast was over.

Today he got assigned to patrol the east wing with three other guards. He would have to patrol until it was time for the ball, at which time he was to get himself cleaned up and presentable and meet the Squad Captain in the lobby.

He walked the halls of the east wing, occasionally passing the other guards that were patrolling there. He started to think about what the surprise at the ball was going to be about when he saw a flash of movemet.

He looked up and saw a figure bolting around a corner fast. Nightwing, confused for only a few moments, wondering why someone was running extremely fast. He gave chase and took off around the corner.

About ten yards ahead of him was a pony running very fast through the hallway. The pony was about as tall as he was and had a violet mane and tail. As he got closer to the pony he say that they also had wings. "Hey stop right there." He called out trying to get the pony's attention.

That only served to make the figure run faster. The figure rounded another corner getting further away from him. Nightwing put on more speed in hopes of catching him. What he saw around the corner surprised him. The figure was gone, vanished, disappeared without a trace.

No matter how you put it, it troubled Nightwing. Who was that strange pony that ran away from him and what where they doing here. He went back to his post and finished his patrol. The moment his patrol was over he headed to his Squad Leader and reported what he saw.

All the leader told him was he would look into it. He headed back to his room and got washed up. He polished his armor so well that you could see your reflection in it. He went and brushed his mane and then put his armor back on.

He met Silver downstairs and togethe they headed for the ball. "So any ideas as to what the surprise is Silver?" Nightwing asked.

"Dunno, maybe somepony will get to spend the day with the princesses."

"That would be an awesome surprise!" remarked Nightwing.

"Really now? Care to tell why?" Silver looked at him with a sly grin. "Is it because you fancy one of them?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." Nightwing Shot back. They kept talking amongst them selves until they reached thier post. It was off to the side at the bottom of the stairs near the thrones. Both of the Princesses had yet to arrive. "Wow this is really close to the thrones. I expected us to be near the door." Nightwing Exclaimed.

"Hey when I say we got postions near the Princesses, I mean it." He said with large grin. They stood there and watched as more guest arrive. He saw the Prestigous Fancy Pants and Fleur de lis. They also saw Hoity Toity talking to some of the guest about his latest new line of clothing.

More and more guess poured through the door most of which Nightwing didn't recongize. It was about 8:00 pm when the Princesses finally showed up. One moment they weren't there and the next in a blinding spectale of magical fireworks. White and blue fireworks spiraled and swirled around each other until finally exploding in a flash of light to reveal both the princesses standing there in there dress attire.

Princess Celestia dress was amazing. It was red and white near the front with a light orange and orange to the back. It was made to look like a phoenix. Princess Luna's dress was equally amazing as well. It resmebled the night sky and caught it perfectly. it various shades of blue and black as well as white dots to represent the stars.

"Welcome Mares and Gentlecolts. Thank you all for coming. Today we are celebrating the resignation of our two personal guards, Greywhoof and Breezetail. They have served us for many years and we thank them for it." Princess Celestia said as two ponies stepped foward and bowed.

"Thank you Princess for honoring us. It has been our pleasure to serve you to the fullest of our extent." Breezetail said. "Thank you Breezetail for your kind words. I would like to honor you one more time though before your duty is done." Princess Celestia stated. The two former guards looked confused. "Whatever do you mean milady?" Asked Greywhoof. "Good question Greywhoof. That brings me to my second announcement. In one week, Me and my sister will be hosting a competition between our royal guards. You two will be the judges for the event. The two winners of the compition will become our new personal guards!"

**Thus concludes yet another chapter. I Hope you like it! Also for those who want to know what their dresses look like (Sorry if i suck at desribing them, i know i probably didn't do them justice) here are the links:**

**Princess Celestia: art/Princess-Celestia-Gala-Dress-316575816**

**Princess Luna: art/Princess-Luna-at-the-Gala-271308774**


	3. The Training Begins

**Sorry guys for the late update school has buried me. Finally managed to get back to writing this. Thank you for your helpful reviews. Now once again lets get back to continuing the story.**

**I Do Not Own MLP In Anyway!**

Nightwing was in awe at Celestia announcement. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He turned to see that Silver had the same shocked eyed look he had. It was an honor to be the personal guard of the princesses.

Celestia continued on with the announcement. "If you want to participate in the event, report here tomorrow at 5 am sharp. Be sure you're on time. Any later and you will be excluded. Now please return to the festivities and enjoy."

Nightwing turned to Silver with excitement. "Silver this is great. A chance to be the personal guards the princess. That's the greatest honor that any guard can achieve."

"Yeah but think of the odds that we out 400 or so guards can win that contest. It's not going to happen most likely." Silver said with a frown.

"Hey you're supposed to be the upbeat one here. If we don't try we will never know. Hey who knows, maybe we'll get lucky." Nightwing said with a grin.

"Hmm your right, I guess once the party is over we should get some sleep and then back here. Who knows maybe we will be the only ones that show up." He said jokingly.

"Yeah maybe." With that they both stood at their post diligently as the party continued on until about 11 when the guest started leaving. When the last guest left, the guards switched post. Silver and Nightwing headed straight to the barracks to catch some shut eye before they had to wake up again at 4 am. So they had time to get ready for the meeting at 5 am.

Silver fell asleep no problem but Nightwing had several thoughts coursing through his head. _Do I really have a chance at winning? Can I actually become one of the princess's personal guards? Or will I just make a fool of myself?_

Nightwing shrug these thoughts out of his head. He needed sleep if he was going to be ready for tomorrow. He lay down on his bed and closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep. He felt as though he was asleep for seconds before he was woken up by his friend.

"Come on its time to go." Silver said to him. Nightwing got up and got himself ready going through his normal routine. As he looked around he saw that about half the barracks was up as well. _Well this should be interesting at the very least. _He thought to himself.

He finished getting ready and joined Silver. They both head back to ballroom. There were tons of guards already there. "You know I'm surprised at the amount of guards that showed up for this." Nightwing said.

"Me too, Hell I'm wondering how they heard about this." Silver said amazement.

"Probably from the cooks. They like to talk a lot you know them."

"That is very true. Well, let see what in store for us."

All the guards in the room including Nightwing and Silver waited patiently to see what was going to happen. Then they saw Greywhoof and Breezetail approach. They waited for the crowd in front of them to quiet down before they started talking.

"Listen up because we are only going to say this once. For the ones brave enough to want to become the princesses' personal guards, you have passed our first test. But before you start patting yourself on the back, this entire week will to be to train you. You're going to be pushed farther than you have ever been pushed. This is going to make your regular training seem like a birthday party." Greywhoof said.

"We hope you're up for the test. We are probably going to lose some of you before the real contest begins. Those of you who make it to the real contest, well I hope you will give your best. Now any questions?" said Breezetail.

"Just one, when do we start?" Asked Nightwing. Breezetail smirked. "Right now soldier, everyone sign up on list and then report to the courtyard to begin training." With that Breezetail and Greywhoof both turned and left.

The Guards all went to the sign-up sheet and wrote their names. Nightwing and Silvermist were one of the last ponies to sign their names. Nightwing took a look at the list and tried to see how many guards had signed up.

"Looks like, including us, there are 100 guards participating in the tournament."

"Well at least we won't have a lake of competition." Silvermist said with a smile. They walked outside to courtyard as they were instructed. They were told to start off the training with a 20 mile run in full armor.

The run was around the mountain and then back here for the next exercise. This would probably weed out the majority of the ones who wouldn't have the commitment to keep going. They began the run once everyone was ready.

As the got about 10 miles into the run, the heard the sound of ponies vomiting and some were panting heavily but no one quit. They finished the run and returned to the courtyard with a bunch of tired guards. Nightwing and Silver were tired as well but they not like some ponies. Some were on the ground heaving and breathing heavily.

"You are already tired soldiers? We haven't even got started yet. Now get up and get into formation. I want 100 pushups since every pony can't seem to handle a simple run." Breezetail said. All the guards groaned. "Oh, well then make that 200." That shut them all up.

They got into the push up position and they all started doing the 200 pushups. Some ponies were struggling. Others just thought this was a nuisance. Nightwing and Silver went finished them even more tired and sore than before.

"Dude its only 12'o clock. We still have most of the day ahead of us." Silver said with a tired a breath.

"We will survive. And once we do we will compete in the tournament to see who will become her guards."

"Whoa slow down there. We have to finish this week first." Silver said with a smirk.


	4. Trouble and Even More Trouble

**Hey guys sorry it took me a while to post. School took up my life and my muse. Anyway here is chapter 4. Thank you for all the awesome reviews. I really appreciate them.**

**I Do Not Own MLP In Anyway.**

Finally, after putting the guards through another 2 hours of strenuous exercises, Greywhoof told them to go grab lunch. Nightwing and Silvermist went to mess hall trying to massage their sore muscles.

"Man Night. Why did that guard have to back talk Greywhoof? We would have been there all day is some pony didn't put a hoof over his mouth. Thank the goddess he is quitting this training program. That makes 25 ponies in one day. I wonder how many will be left by the end of the week?" Said Silvermist

"Don't know, but I'm starving. Let's grab some grub." Nightwing replied. Then got the food and sat down at a table. Just when Nightwing was about to eat, a mare comes up to the table. "May I sit here? They won't let me sit at the other table, something about me being a mare." She said.

"Sure I don't have a problem with it. What about you Night?" Said Silver. "Nah, no problem. Name's Nightwing and this is Silvermist. What's your name?" Nightwing asked. "My name is Icewing." She replied as she sat down next to Silver. She was a Pegasus. Her coat was white with blue tipped wings as well as her mane and tail. Her cutie mark was that of snowflake.

"So what made you join the guard?" Asked Silver.

"Well, it was when I was young. It was a sunny and beautiful day. It was the day of the Summer Sun Celebration and there was a huge festival in town. I was heading there with my parents. Well along the way, a pony ran off with some ponies' bits and was getting away. But out of what seemed to be nowhere, a royal guard pony slammed into him knocking him to the ground. The Thief was out cold and arrested and the guard that stop him was thanked by the mare whose bits were stolen. I saw how the guard protected ponies and from then on I wanted to be one of them. So why did you two join the guard."

"Well Silver here joined to attract the mares of that I'm sure. I joined because my father, my grandfather, and my great grandfather were all in the guard. I decided to follow in their hoofsteps." Said Nightwing.

"Hey that's not the only reason I joined the guard. I also look good in uniform." Said Silvermist.

Icewing laughed and then replied. "So how do you like the guard so far?"

"It has its ups and downs. It would be a lot better with all those laps every morning but you can't have everything." Said Silver. Nightwing was about to say something when Greywhoof yelled out. "OKAY YOU LAZY MAGGOTS. LUNCH TIME IS OVER, AND I HOPE YOU HAVEN'T EATEN A LOT BECAUSE I WANT 30 LAPS AROUND THE CASTLE."

All three of them groaned as they got up and put there trays with the rest of the others to be washed. They went outside and began their laps occasionally speaking with each other as they ran. For the next 4 hours they were put threw another set of strenuous exercises. They were finally given a break at the end of the day.

They spent the time relaxing and stretching sore muscles they didn't even know they had. After a while of relaxation it was time to turn in. Ice was the first to leave followed by Silver. Night stayed up for a little bit longer then headed to bed.

He started dreaming, He was flying. It was night and he was really high above a crowd but they didn't seem to see him. He looked around and saw another figure. He couldn't make it out, as if he was covered in shadows. He appeared to be saying something but he couldn't hear anything or make out the words.

The next thing he knew the figured charged at him and he felt a sharp and cold pain in his stomach. He started falling, the ground coming closer and closer. He vision fading to black as he heard some pony scream. He awoke panting and covered in sweat. Unable to get back to sleep he got up and went outside in hopes to calm his fast beating heart.

He stepped outside the brisk cold wind cooling him down. It was very early morning with the moon and stars still up. It had a calming effect on him. He stayed out there for bit, just resting and getting his heart rate to settle down. "Couldn't sleep soldier?" came a voice behind him. He turned around and saw Breezetail approach.

"Yeah nerves I guess." Was his reply. "Don't worry the first couple days will probably be nerve wrecking but you'll get used to it. You should get some sleep. We're taking you all to the everfree forest tomorrow." Said Breezetail.

"The everfree forest? Why are we heading there?"

"Mostly to help train for survival scenarios. We are splitting you up into teams of three and you will have to survive for the day. But anyway I have said too much, we will tell you the rest in the morning. Now go get some sleep." He said.

Nightwing went back to his bed and laid back down. He fell into a light dreamless sleep. He woke to the sound of Greywhoof barking. "GET UP AND REPORT TO THE YARD!" Nightwing groaned and got ready. He joined Silver and Icewing outside. Both of the instructors explained what had been said to him last night to the rest of the guards.

Some of the guards groaned, somewhere trembling in excitement, others in fear. There have been tales of ponies going into the forest and never coming out ever again. They read off the names for who were going to be in a group. Luckily for Nightwing, it was going to be him, Silver, and Ice.

The soldiers would take a train to the forest and a base camp would be set up next to the forest. They would enter and have to survive one night. If you couldn't handle it, you were gone. They spent most of the morning on the train and the rest setting up the camp. After the camp was set up, the groups were given a map and a bag of supplies for each of them.

The bag contained two water skins, food rations, first aid kit, flint and steel, and rope. Nightwing, Silver, and Icewing grabbed their supplies and gave Silver the map. They headed deep into the forest avoiding anything that looked remotely dangerous. They spent a good couple hours walking through the forest and by the time they found a clearing suitable for a campsite, the sun was starting to descend.

Nightwing started setting up the tents while Icewing searched firewood. Silver said he was going to go do something or another, But they couldn't catch what he heard. It was starting to get dark and Silver had yet to come back. Nightwing had finished setting up the tents and Ice came back with plenty of firewood.

They were starting to get worried and Nightwing was about to suggest he go look for him when they heard a loud yell and Silvermist came bursting out of the forest and was heading straight …. past them. Nightwing was about to ask why he was running when they heard a terrible roar come from where Silver burst through.

It took two seconds for Nightwing and Icewing to get and run after Silver. They manage to catch up to him as they ran past a stream. "Want to tell me what's going on Silver? What are we running from exactly?" Nightwing asked.

"Well my friend, we are running from a troll. A very pissed off troll."

"WHAT!?" Said Nightwing and Icewing at the same time.

"What could have been possibly doing to piss off a troll? I thought those things were extinct." Nightwing said as they ran through some dense brush. They heard another loud roar much closer behind them.

"Less talk, more run. I'll explain later." Silver replied. They kept running heading for my denser trees, trying to lose the troll. The roars kept getting louder and louder and Nightwing glanced behind him and could actually get glimpses of the creature and it was HUGE. If it managed to catch up to them, it could do some serious damage.

"Guys it's gaining on us, run faster." He yelled. They ran eve faster putting their legs and adrenaline to the test. As they ran the forest became denser and denser and the branches constantly whipped them in and gave them some cuts. Still the creature was gaining on them until for some reason it stopped. It let out one final roar and then turned around and left.

"huff-I think-huff-we're safe." Panted Silver.

"I wondered why it stopped, it was gaining on us." Said Nightwing.

"We'll be thankful it did.-huff- I don't think I could have ran another step." Huffed Icewing.

"Anyway lets go back. We have to gather our supplies and move." Said Nightwing.

"Lets rest first. There is a clearing over there from what I can see." Said Silvermist.

There was no argument as they were all tired. They walked over into the giant clearing. They entered the clearing, and proceeded to walk into a giant pond of quicksand.


	5. The Brewing Storm

**Hey guys, back from long hiatus. I will hopefully be posting new chapters fast then this one ^_^;;. Also shout out to GAMMADAWN14, and his OC. Anyway here is the story.**

Nightwing was struggling to get his hooves out and was failing miserably. It was like trying to move through molasses. He looked over at Icewing and Silvermist and they both were having the same amount of trouble. "Come on there has to be a way out of this. Keep trying." Nightwing said trying his best to encourage his friends.

"I'm trying my best but I can't get my hooves free. Silver this is your fault. You said this was a place that we could rest!" Icewing yelled.

"Hey I was just trying to find a place for us to rest. Excuse me for not knowing this was quicksand." Silver yelled back.

"That's enough you two. We don't have time to sit here and argue as we are currently sinking to our dooms. Now if you would please, focus on trying to get your hooves free." Nightwing Scolded.

"Sorry Night but it becoming harder and harder to move and I…" Icewing was saying before she stopped abruptly.

Nightwing was about to ask what was wrong when Silver shouted out "HEY OVER HERE! HELP US!"

Nightwing turned his head in time to see a figure retreat back into the forest. Ice wing turned and yelled at Silver. "Great you idiot there went a chance to get out of this pit. Why did you go scare him off?"

Nightwing phased out there arguing as he continued watching around him. He saw the figure a couple more times. It seemed like he was scoping out the area for trouble or seeing if this was a trap. The quicksand was now up to their torso. The figure disappeared once again but this time showed up near them where they had entered the quicksand.

Nightwing turned toward Silver and Ice. "You two settle down. He is back." Nightwing turned back to the figure and asked it a leveled voice. "Could you help us? We seemed to have gotten stuck in this quicksand." The Quicksand was up to their necks now.

His response was a vine being thrown out him. "Okay I am going to grab the vine, Silver I want you to grab on my tail and Ice I want you to grab onto Silver's tail."

They responded at the same time. "Got it." They grabbed onto their respective tails and Nightwing grabbed onto the vine. The figure began pulling him and the other slowly but surely out of the quicksand. After a minute or two of the figure pulling, they came out with a loud "POP".

They struggled to their feet and failed miserably. They decided to lie down and get there energy back. After a minute or two of resting, Nightwing decided to get a better look at their savior. He was almost as tall as Night himself. He was a dark blue unicorn with a light blue tail and mane. He couldn't see any obvious cutie marks.

"Thanks for saving us, what is your name?" Night asked.

"Tundra, what are you doing out here in the middle of the night, it's dangerous and they're creature who shouldn't be disturbed." He asked the group. Silver told him about the training exercise, and how they had to survive the night. He then told them how the ogre had chased them here and then just abruptly stopped. "Ogre? I thought they were extinct." was Tundra's response.

"So did we, which reminds me. How did you piss it off in the first place." Said Ice.

"Well I was walking and I didn't notice it lying on the ground and I sort of stepped on his eye." Said Silver as he flushed with embarrassment.

"How do you not notice an ogre sleeping on the ground?!" Night said with exasperation.

"Hey it was dark and I didn't pay attention to where I was walking. Any pony could've made my mistake."

"Anyway, we need to get back to our supplies so we can get back to base in the morning. Do you think you can help us find our camp Tundra." Asked Ice.

"As long as you keep up. Come on, we shouldn't stay around here much longer" Tundra said as he started walking away toward where they came from.

"Well let's get moving, we have a long night ahead of us." Night said as he followed. More than once did they get lost and had to wait for Tundra to find them again and lead them onto the right path. At one point he disappeared and didn't return for a long bit. As they started getting worried he reappeared before them.

"The way is clear just continue straight and your camp should be there." He said with a nod.

"Where did you go?" Silver asked.

"A small talk with a friend." And with that he went back the way they came with the forest swallowing him up. They continued forward until they finally reached their camp. The place was a wreck; their tents were flung all about and collapsed, as well as the firewood and nearby trees being all over the place.

"Looks like we are going to be using the plain old dirt tonight. I suggest we sleep in shifts so nothing comes up on us unnoticed. I'll take first watch." Night said as he gathered what was left of their bags together. The other two nodded and laid down to rest. The rest of the night went more or less uneventful.

When they woke in the morning, they decided to find high ground so they could find their way out of the forest. The entire process took them longer than it should have if they had a map or compass. Finally leaving the dreaded forest behind them they reported back to the base camp. They found Breezetail and Greywhoof under the pavilion that was setup and reported to them.

"What took you maggots so long? Everyone else already made it back before you did!" Greywhoof said angrily as they plodded into the base camp.

"Sir, we lost our map along the way while we were chased by an ogre." Nightwing said.

"Are telling tales to me son, they are extinct, everyone knows that!"

"It's true sir, we were with him when it chased us down." Silver said standing next to his friend.

"Hmm, let me look into this, the other team report hearing crashing noises and roars throughout the night. Where exactly did you see the creature?" Breezetail asked.

Silver showed them on the map where they camped and where he found the creature. "I'll send a team to scout the area, see if they can find anything." He said. "Looks like we are down to 15 ponies now." And with that he left.

"Did he say 15 ponies? What happen to the rest?" Icewing asked. "Only five groups came back and that's including yours." Greywhoof said. "Now dismissed, go and get some rest before we break camp." They left and went to find the mess area to grab some food. After that they went and go showers.

They broke camp over the next couple hours and then headed back to Canterlot, where they went straight back into training. Over the course of the rest of the week their training was kicked up a notched and it weeded out five more ponies by the time Saturday came upon them.

"Okay listen up. This competition will put to test everything you have learned and know. There will be five stages. Stage 1 will be a physical test, putting your strength to the limits. Stage two will be a test of endurance, see how long you can go to keep the princesses safe. Stage three will be a mental test, to make sure your mind is as in shape as your body should be. The last two stages we will put you into situations to see how you perform under pressure. By the end of the first three, there will only be four of you. And by the end of the competition, there will be only 2 of you. Those two will be the winners and the new personal guards for the princesses. Now dismissed and get a good night's rest. You're going to need it." Breezetail briefed.

Nightwing went to bed after the debriefing. _So close, I didn't think I would make it this far. Well, I need to push the rest of the way. I hope the others will be okay. Hmm only ten of us left. I wonder which one of us will make it to the top. I sure will try to make sure I am one of them. Hopefully one of the others will be the second. Anyway time to get some sleep, it's going to be a long day tomorrow._ Nightwing fell asleep dreaming of what it would be like to be the personal guard to the princess.

The figure watched him from his hiding place. It would be easy and probably best if he took him out now, but those he worked for wanted him to live a little while longer. To see how he turned out, they said he may be able to be turned to their side. The figure didn't see how but kept watch anyway. He hope this pony would be worth the trouble.

**Hope you like it, also if incase any of you were wondering this is taking place just a little bit before "A Canterlot Wedding". Hope you liked the story so far, R&R if would. I loved to read your comments on how you think i could improve or just your general opinion on the story.**


	6. Round 1 FIGHT!

**Here is the next chapter, everyone. Thank you for all for taking the time to read my story. I really do hope you enjoy it. Sorry for the lack of Luna but i promise she will be here later on in the story. Without further ado here is the story. Please Review and enjoy.**

**I do not own MLP in anyway.**

Nightwing woke up early and got ready for the competition today. He left his tent and headed to the mess area to get some food and found Silver and Ice already there talking. "Hey, what's going on?" he asked.

"Nothing much, just getting something to eat before the big test. A little nerve wrecking but I can handle it." Silvermist said.

"That so? Then why haven't you touched your food." Icewing asked. "….They didn't cook it right." Was his only response. Night and Ice busted out laughing at their friends comment. Silver was about to say something else when Greywhoof came into the mess and said. "Form up; it's time for the test to begin." They followed him without a word being said among each other.

The ten ponies knew that it was time for friendship and camaraderie to be put to the side for this competition of a life time. Greywhoof led them to a grand arena that had been setup for the competition. Many ponies had gathered around to come and watch the spectacle. "This is where most of the test will be held. The first test is a mock combat. You will be separated into teams of two. These teams will be with you for the entire competition."

A soldier came up to him a list. "The teams are as followed, Team One is Steelhammer and Cherrytail. Team Two is Windfeather and Creamblitz. Team Three is Nightwing and Silvermist." Silver and Nightwing bro hoofed at that, Ice looked a little down. "Don't worry Ice, it'll be okay. Who knows, you may be able to kick both our flanks." Silver said to her. She smiled, then looked at him and said. "But Silver, I can already kick your flank. Why would I need to worry about that?"

"Ha ha very funny." They shared a small laugh amongst themselves." Greywhoof kept reading. "Team Four is Icewing and Dawnfeather. Team Five is Rainpuff and Lemonstreak." He was about to say something else when a flash of light accompanied by a purple shield encompassed Canterlot. Breezetail trotted up to Greywhoof and whispered something urgently.

They started talking hushed tones to each other, none of the other ponies where able to hear what they said. "What's going on?" Night asked

"Not sure, but it can't be good." Silver said. Breezetail and Greywhoof turned to face them. "A threat has been issued against Canterlot. The princesses and the guards are now on high alert. The competition will still go on but there will be a more security than ever. Especially with the wedding coming up for Captain Shining Armor and Princess Cadence."

"A threat against Canterlot? Who in their right mind would try to attack the city?" Ice said.

"No idea but we need to focus more than ever, the enemy chose the moment when the princesses didn't have personal guards. We need to make sure that this competition goes on, and fast." Night said.

"Ponies enter the arena and head to your respective areas. The battle will begin at the sound of the bugle. The first team of two to be unable to fight will be disqualified, May the best ponies win."

With that Greywhoof turned around and headed for the stands. Night and Silver headed toward their assigned area and got ready. It was to be a hoof to hoof combat so no weapons were going to be used.

"Ready Silver?"

"Ready Night"

They looked up at Breezetail, who was in the judge's box with Greywhoof, and waited for him to give the signal to begin the fight. He stood up and yelled. "BEGIN!" Just one word caused chaos on the field. Every pony rushed forward ready to get into the fray. Night and Silver rushed forward and pounced on the closet ponies to them. Night had tackled Steelhammer and thy both rolled in the dirt. The struggled for a moment before Steelhammer managed to get enough leverage to buck Nightwing off him.

They both got to their hooves and charged at each other. Steelhammer tried to head-butt him but Night dashed to the left and followed up with a hoof to the face, knocking him out. He sort of felt bad but remembered quickly that everyone but Silver was against him at moment. The he realized, where's Silvermist? He scanned the battlefield quickly trying to find his friend.

He flew upward to get a better view. Some other team members were knocked out as well. From what he could the following members were out: Steelhammer, Creamblitz, and Lemonstreak. He saw Silver engaged with Dawnfeather when he noticed Cherrytail coming up behind him. He tucked in his wings and dived into her. They both rolled and slammed into the arena wall. Nightwing shook his head groggily and struggled to his feet, 7 feet away from him was Cherrytail who was doing the same.

Once they were on their hooves they stared at each other before charging, each connecting with their own swings. The next thing Night knew was he was on his back, the edge of his vision blurred in darkness. He looked around and a figure stood out in the crowd. It wasn't because they were colorful or anything, it was because they were looking at him and they were smiling.

He heard a shout from Greywhoof and then nothing, as the world faded to black. He woke up in the medical wing with Silvermist and Icewing by his side. "Hey guys, what happened?" He asked them.

"Well you and Cherrytail knocked each other out. Since Steelhammer was already out for the count they lost. Which was lucky for Silver, because Dawnfeather was kicking his flank." Said Icewing with a smirk

"I had the entire situation under control. I was just letting her think she had the advantage." He said grumbling.

Night and Ice laughed, and then Nightwing asked. "So what is the next challenge?"

"Well first he is giving you all a break so you can rest up and then he will announce the next challenge. Get some rest it looks like you took a heavy beating." Silver said. Nightwing nodded as Silver and Ice left him. He laid down and closed his eyes and dreamt. He was standing in a void, with darkness all around him. He walked forward into the ever enclosing darkness.

_Where in Celestia am I? _He wondered. He continued forward with no real end in sight. As he was walking along he swore he could hear voices. They were loud enough were he could hear them but quiet enough to wear he couldn't figure out what they were saying no matter how hard he tried. He kept walking further and further. He saw something ahead of him. There was a pony and two doors. He approached the pony and asked "Who are you and where are we."

His only response from the pony was "Choose."

The doors looked similar, with no real difference. The only detail that was different about them was the keyholes. One was shaped like the sun the other shaped like the moon. He grabbed the handle for the moon door but it wouldn't budge no matter how hard he pushed or pulled. It was the same for the other door.

He looked back at the pony again. The pony shook its head and just said "It's not yet the time." And the world fell. He was falling, fast through the night, hurdling toward the ground with a mare screaming into the night. He woke in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. The weak rays of sunlight were filtering in through his window blinds.

The doctor showed up and gave him a quick run through to make sure he was okay before sending him on his way. He walked back to the barracks and got armored up before heading to the mess. It was early in the morning, around 7 to 7:30 from what he could tell. _Why do I keep having these strange nightmares? Am I going mad? Princesses guide my path. _He thought to himself. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice Silver and Ice until they barreled into him.

"OOof." He said having the breath knocked out of him.

"We were looking for you but they said you had already checked out come on lets go grab breakfast before the second round of the competition starts." Said Silvermist.

As they were heading toward the mess Night thought to himself._ Should I tell them about my dreams? What would they think? Probably that I'm being an idiot and shouldn't worry about it._

They went inside the mess and got their food, getting in a quick meal before round two begins.


End file.
